Song of Spring edges Blue Prize in Allaire duPont Distaff

BALTIMORE – Song of Spring’s early speed may not be improving with age, but her late kick certainly is. On Friday, over a soupy Pimlico main track, the 4-year-old rallied from last to overtake favored Blue Prize in the final sixteenth of a mile of the Grade 3, $150,000 Allaire duPont Distaff and score her initial stakes win.

Trained by Neil Howard and owned by the Stoneway Farm of Jim Stone, Song of Spring improved her record to four wins in 15 starts. After a 1-for-8 3-year-old campaign, she is now 2 for 4 this year.

“She has developed. She’s been coming along nice,” Howard said.

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Song of Spring closed from last to finish third in the Grade 3 Doubledogdare at Keeneland in her last start. The Doubledogdare was won by Valadorna, a winner of three of her last four races. Rather than face her again, Howard opted to ship to Pimlico for the 1 1/8-mile duPont.

“Her race at Keeneland was really good,” Howard said about Song of Spring. “She got beat by a nice filly. So we did this, thinking we’d be getting a mile and an eighth and avoiding her.

“Still, it came up a tough race, and then it came up sloppy, so we were a little worried.”

Favored Blue Prize and Verve’s Tale alternated on the duPont lead through splits of 47.52 and 1:12.12 over the sloppy track. Blue Prize drew clear approaching the quarter pole and looked headed to victory, but Song of Spring, who had lagged back in last early, about a dozen lengths off the lead, was finding her best gear under Ricardo Santana Jr. from well out in the track.

She steadily reeled in Blue Prize and was up to win by a half-length. It was 2 1/4 lengths back to Fuhriously Kissed in third. Verve’s Tale tired to finish fifth.

Song of Spring paid $21 as fourth choice in the field of eight fillies and mares. She was timed in 1:51.10.

Howard and Song of Spring will head back to Churchill Downs. A return date with Valadorna in the Grade 2, $200,000 Fleur de Lis Handicap at Churchill on June 16 is possible, but not guaranteed.

“We’re still going to look at the Fleur de Lis but we accomplished what we were hoping to today, so we don’t feel forced into it,” Howard said.